~ Smile! You’re at the best WordPress.com site ever

“For optimum amp tone onstage, plug your amp into your own AC outlet. . ” – Eric Johnson
DOING GIGS
In my opinion, there are two kinds of performers:
1 – Concert performers — who do well in front of a sit-down audience
2 – Club performers — who do well in a noisy atmosphere
Knowing which kind of performer you tend to be can help you a lot in deciding where to play. For a lot of people, it’s easy to be both types of performers but some people truly prefer playing in one atmosphere over another. If you want to be at your best, it’s smart to be comfortable. So if this is an issue for you, take the time to think about it.
Next you have to consider if you are going to be performing your own material or covers or both. If you decide to do covers, here are some good tips:
1) The song should really move you.
2) Make the song your own, otherwise after awhile you’ll just feel like “parrot” for someone else’s material (and to me there’s far less creativity in that – just my opinion mind you).
3) Cover Songs are great ice-breakers and shouldn’t be overlooked as great tools for any songwriter to use. Do covers, from artists who lend to your style in one way or another. Opening with a recognizable cover song really helps an audience relate to you and get an idea of where you’re coming from as an artist . . . and also helps them relate more to your originals, too.
Of course, to play at most venues, you’ve got to be prepared to sell yourself. Here are some tips on this subject:
Get your Bio / Demo ready for the Concert Promoters & Club Owners.
I’ve read a bunch of stuff about preparing demo submissions for venues, with bio’s and clippings and stuff like that – but I’m sure there’s more to it than that?
You don’t need much. No club owner or manager is going to want a twenty-page book on you, nor will he/she be impressed with elaborate artwork and/or printing. Just a single sheet of paper that briefly and concisely states what type of artist you are, what kind of songs you play, how you interact with an audience and where you’ve played or are playing . . . and a CD with either three or four whole songs, or six to eight songs that each fade after a minute. That, along with a congenial introduction and follow-up calls will be enough.
Performance anxiety can be an issue. Fortunately, most musicians overcome this in a short period of time – I’ve found that going to open mics, just getting up there and doing it has helped immensely. Find a supportive group of people in your genres’ scene.
Here are some more tips to help you. . .
1 – Know your material and your performances upside down and backwards. You have to be able to play your songs and not mess up under any situation, and the way to do that is to KNOW them well . . . memorization . . . playing a song and working out each and every measure of it until you know it blind-folded. Then, if something bizarre happens while you’re in the middle of a performance, muscle-memory and instinct will take over and you won’t be thrown.
2 – Know your strengths . . . know which songs are “yours” and which songs aren’t. In effect, build a really strong set list. When someone like Bruce Springsteen cuts a new album, he’ll record 50 songs . . . 12 of those wind up on the album we hear and the other 38 go to other artists to do.
3 – LOOK unique . Dress yourself in a way that makes a statement. You know from my previous posts that I believe in dressing the way you always dress; to not be pretentious or something you’re not . . . but that doesn’t mean that you want to look like the guy next door. You want to create an “image” . . . just make it an honest one. So you usually wear jeans and a t-shirt? Fine. Just add some accents that make it all yours. A unique pair of glasses (if you wear them), a very special vest, a wardrobe of scarves, purple boots or hand painted sneakers . . . whatever separates you from the average guy walking down the street and doesn’t make you look like you’re trying to be someone who lacks sincerity or who has lost all sense of reality.
“With the above going on, you’re going to FEEL confident, because you ARE . . . and THAT sells. “

Today’s technology for the recording musician has been getting better and better with each passing month it seems. Software and computer interfaces are getting much less sophisticated and more user friendly for the average Joe. And,let’s not forget, less expensive.
Software like Acid Pro 4. 0 is what I use to create and upload music to the web. I’ve been using products from Sonic Foundry Sony) for 4 years now. Their software products are superb to say the least. I highly recommend this software to build your music creations.
Acidplanet is where I upload my music and Video for the whole world to see and hear. As a member, you can upload music and video files for free.
Software like Vegas Video (also made by Sonic Foundry-Sony), it is what I use to create music videos.
Now, don’t get me wrongтАж this is the software I use and recommend. There are many reliable programs out there to choose from.
I’ve been doing some online music collaborations as of late myself. This has been a great experience for me. However, as with anything else, there is a learning curve.
So. . . I thought I’d pass some simple tips that will help anchor you to a basic format you can start with.
These are common sense tips that I’m giving here and they work well if you follow this basic format everytime.
First, you need you find a website that has musicians who have the same interest you do. Yes, “online music collaborations. ”
Musician Forum Boards are a great place to start. Here are just a few that will help get you started.
Guitar Noise Forums has recently created a page called, appropriately enough, Online Jams and Collaborations. It’s pretty much a bulletin board where you can hook up with others who are interested in putting together an online jam, hosted by another site. You can join in on a jam or announce one of your own.
“GuitarDuel. com is a site for guitarists of all ability levels to display their work. The best part is that it’s free to join, but we’ll have weekly contests with real prize money,” says site creator, Don Harrold.
The appeal of GarageBand. com is the unique way in which it uses the Internet to find talented new groups.
Artistopia is committed to building the ultimate end-all solution for music artists, musicians, songwriters, and industry professionals to develop and do business in one spot. Armed with comprehensive membership plans, industry experts, expert technologist, business management, and solid online presence, Artistopia is leading the frontier in online artist development.
Whenever a site such as these have a Forum Board, use them to find other artist that have the same taste as you. I usually introduce myself right away after signing up. It doesn’t take long until you find some really cool musicians that are more than willing for an online collaboration. Acidplanet. com is where I upload my tunes.
Once I get on the Forum Board, I’ll look for topics of discussions. Songwriting Topics, Recording Topics etc. This is where you’ll find folks to collaborate with.
A great why to start is by taking a consensus. Throw the idea out there with some guidelines established. Remember, it’s all in the approach. Then, folks need to hear what you are working on first, just to find out if it’s something they can get into. . .
My first “collabs” were done by posting backing tracks for others to download and do their own thing with. .
Some of the top players on AP really had a good time with that, and it grew into something way beyond what I intended. Very coolтАж
You can do the same thing by building the backing track, and listing the lyrics you want in the song description.
You’ll probably get a lot more folks involved if you let them post the songs on their own pages too. . .
To collaborate with others takes time. Just being vague and asking for a collaboration will probably not get very many responses. Having your ideas laid out before hand would probably get more responses. Most good musicians I know are looking to be challenged a little when it comes to making music. Remember, it’s got be worth while I’m sure.
Any “collaboration” is a community effort between people, with equal input and participation throughout the project.
A great approach would be to post a subject idea for a group project, discuss ideas posted by participating members on that subject, and come to a consensus on:
1. What the outline of the song should be (genre, instrumentation, time signature, tempo, key, section layout of verses/choruses/bridges/solos).
2. Which people will contribute what parts and instruments
3. Where the finished parts of each collaborator will be uploaded to
4. Who is responsible for collecting/mixing/mastering the parts
5. A timeline for when parts need to be done to keep the project moving smoothly
6. What profile the song will be uploaded to
7. A “project head” to oversee the entire process and make sure things are running smoothly, communication is consistent and informative, and every participant is included equally in the project.
“Hope these tips and guidelines help you get you on the right track. “

Many years ago when portable home video first came on the market I had a small business focused on taking inventories of peoples houses on video tape so that they would be protected if there ever were an insurance need. It was a great idea, something that everyone needs back then and even today. However the shortfall of my business plan at that time was the basic distrust folks had with regard to letting a strange into their house to take video of their stuff. Then of course who could blame them? I was a good honest young man trying to make a living but let’s just say I did not set the world on fire with this business. This was even true despite marketing directly to high-income neighborhoods.
All needed the concept and service but the execution was not great on my part. Now however each and every one of you has the ability to do this for yourselves and it is not too hard. Start with the basics and get as in depth as you think is necessary.
Take digital pictures of all your stuff, your house, your car, and your collections, everything you love that you own and store it away digitally. You can either store the images on a memory card, which you place in your safe deposit box at the bank, or you can load them off to a CD or DVD disc and store them that way. No need for a box load prints, a VHS tape or two, which may not last more than 8-10 years before breaking down, or a written list of inventory.
Take the pictures! Do it this weekend and you are all set. Shoot pictures of your new stuff as you acquire it. Here is the plan in short order:
Start with the big stuff first as this will help you systematically organize your important items such as the car, the appliances, TV, stereo, computers and so on. Computers usually have a variety of items connected to them so make sure to get model numbers and serial numbers of all of them on tape. You can do a v can do a voice over as you go along telling when you think you bought the item, how much you spent, and even where you got it.
There are certain things that you are going to want to get on tape with good detailed close up shots. Jewelry, silverware, collections, is especially valuable to us and so you want to lay them out on a table. Put down a dark colored cloth first and then spread your items out on the cloth. Make sure there is good light so the details will shine. Put your digital video camera on a tripod and take good close up shots of each item.
Now you don’t have to go crazy shooting video of every single thing in your place but rather find a balance between what you love and what is just stuff.
When you are done make a second copy of the tape, carefully label both of them and then store them away in your safe deposit box, in home safe or other secure area where you can access it should the need ever arise where you need to document your possessions in the case of disaster or theft.

Learning how to play guitar well is not easy. There are so many methods and so many conflicting opinions, it makes it difficult to know what to do.
But the simple fact is, if you want to be the best you can, as soon as you can, then all you need to do is – copy what the pro’s do. . .
Master the Basics!
Mastering the basics means being able to play in all keys. Being able to transpose any song to any other key – on the spot preferably.
Did you know that 95% of guitarists DON’T master the basics. Oh yes, they mean to get around to it, but they hardly ever do.
Why is that? Well, it’s because they think it’s boring, complicated and too much hard work. And most of all – no fun! And mostly they were right. Well, it needn’t be that way. Mastering the basics can be a lot of fun if you go about it in a methodical set-by-step way.
What does mastering the basics entail?
There are 6 basic steps you need to follow:
1. Learn the names of all notes on all strings, one string at a time.
2. Learn how to construct a C Major scale.
Basic must-know guitar theory. Easy stuff.
3. Learn how the chords of the major scale are made and what they are. . . their names etc. C Dm Em F G Am Bdim.
Basic chord construction knowledge.
4. Learn the triad patterns for the C major scale all over the fret board.
Triads are simple 3-note chords. Easy and fun to learn and play.
5. Learn to play those triads with common chord progressions.
Learn to play and apply the triads to the most common chord progressions that fit thousands and thousands of songs.
6. Learn to do step 5 in all keys.
Once you can do steps one to five in the key of C, it’s real easy to learn it for the other 11 major keys.
Hint: It’s much easier than you think. All the patterns are exactly the same as what you learn for C major. You don’t have to learn any new patterns. Cookie cutter stuff.
It really is not hard at all. All you need is a methodical step-by-step method that makes sense and is easy and fun to use.

Make your family scrapbook an instant classic by Spliting up pages evenly, and then just let everyone bring thier personality into the project by having everyone make a page dedicated to someone else in the family.
Can you think of a better family project than a family scrapbook?
It’s fun for the whole family and crafting your own family scrapbook and it is the perfect way to showcase your family memories.
Holiday periods are times when traditions are held closely, and sentiment is dear. So you can compose your family scrapbook,u will find that much of the content can be made up of using holidays content, when families have an opportunity to have fun together. Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and other holidays will give you a wonderful opportunity to really chronicle your family’s thoughts and times together as a family.
Maybe you remember the last time your family got together for the holidays. You can remember whose house everyone met up at. But can you tell me what your little nephew was up to all night? Do I have to remind you of what your Aunt did to make everyone burst up with laughter?
Of course these are hypotheticals, but we both know I’m on the right track. No one can remember every single fun detail that life brings us.
Unless we let these family memories live on in a family Scrapbook using these family scrapbooking ideas.

Teddy bears have been around since 1902. The teddy bear came to being when President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shot a black bear held captive by his hunting party. Also worth noting is that President Roosevelt’s refusal to shoot this captive bear became a very popular political cartoon by Cliff Barryman.
A Brooklyn shopkeeper was inspired by the cartoon. The shopkeeper then asked President Rosevelt his permission to name a toy bear “Teddy”. Thus became the creation of the teddy bear.
It is also worth noting that the teddy bear was born in Germany between 1902 and 1903.
The first teddy bears did not have cuddly faces or smiles, in fact, the first teddy bears had expressions which could best be described as stoic. Teddy bears were also quite stiff, the bendable arms and legs and soft, plush bodies came much later.
Now teddy bears are still the number one item to give babies as their first toy, the prize to win your girl on your first date, and most importantly, the toy of choice for law enforcement to give to children in sad, unsafe situations to help them calm down and feel safe.
The market for collectible teddy bears has seen significant growth in the last several years. A collectible teddy bear is very different than the typical store bought teddy that you might give a child. The industry defines collectible teddy bears as hard, not floppy, and fully jointed (meaning arms, legs, and head are moveable). The artists however, also determine collectibles. Steiff teddy bears and others have a very high collectible value.

It seems nearly impossible to watch TV or open a newspaper without seeing something about man-made diamonds. For hundreds of years science has tried to create a perfect synthetic diamond. Finally, 21st-century technology has made that prospect a reality.
There are many reasons to purchase synthetic diamonds instead of the mined variety. The prices charged for mined diamonds are, in the very best verbiage, an illusion. To put it more bluntly, Cecil Adams, in his award-winning newspaper column “The Straight Dope” says: “Diamonds are a con, pure and simple. ” Diamond prices are largely controlled by the DeBeers diamond cartel, and they are not a fair reflection of diamond scarcity. Additionally, studies show that one out of three diamonds sold in the US today has been altered to artificially increase its value. Further studies have shown that on average a couple pays 40% too much for their diamond engagement ring.
Beyond deceptive pricing, there are the issues of “blood diamonds”, forced child labor, and a myriad of other disturbing diamond facts.
Recently, socially conscious celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Minnie Driver, and Angelina Jolie have made a vocal issue of wearing only synthetic diamonds to the many gala events they attend.
Good synthetic diamonds are virtually indistinguishable from the mined variety, but without the baggage, and additionally, they cost thousands of dollars less. But, which synthetic diamond is the best choice?
There are many types of man-made or synthetic diamonds available. The choices are numerous, but unbiased information is scarce. Here is an overview and comparison of the synthetic diamonds currently unavailable on the market:
Cubic Zirconia
The grandfather of simulated diamonds, Zircons are available widely. In their best examples, CZ’s are actually a fairly decent diamond replica. Unfortunately, the commodity-like availability and vast differences in quality have made the stone synonymous with low-cost fashion jewelry. Perhaps a good choice for cheap bling, but not for fine jewelry. Many sources are available, a decent one is: czfantasy. com
Russian Diamonds
Including Russian Brilliants, Russian Stars and others, they are in fact nothing but high quality cubic zirconias. This is not mentioned prominently on their web sites and they will only cop to it when pressed, but that is the fact. Russian diamond simulates are priced around $280 per carat.
Russian Diamonds are a fine jewelry selection and are usually mounted in quality precious metal settings.
Russian Brilliants are one of the best and oldest sellers of “Russian Diamonds” available at: russianbrilliants. net
Moissanite
Moissanite is a lab-created mineral that is a very good diamond stimulant. Moissanite has been on the market as a fine jewelry choice since the early 90s and has picked up quite a few fans. Moissanite is a hard mineral that, like diamond, will cut glass. There are a couple of minor downsides to moissanite however. First, it is quite expensive, (though still cheap compared to diamonds) usually priced about $500 per carat for good samples.
Secondly, moissanite does not have the same optical qualities as diamond and there are several indicators that make them easy to spot with the naked eye for an experienced practitioner. It is difficult to produce a pure white moissanite and they often appear slightly green when viewed in natural light. Also, moissanite has significantly higher radiance and brilliance factors then natural diamond, causing them to appear “too sparkly” to some. Overall though, moissanite is a beautiful synthetic diamond choice.
“Moissanite From the Sky” at fromthesky. com is a good source of fine moissanite jewelry.
Diamond Nexus
Diamond Nexus gemstones are the result of a fairly new scientific advancement in processing technique, and have only recently been available in the United States.
Diamond Nexus gemstones are excellent diamond stimulants and come very close to matching the properties of mined diamonds at many different comparison points. They cut glass, being virtually identical to diamond on the Mohs (hardness) scale. They refract perfect “hearts and arrows” and have radiance and brilliance readings extremely close to flawless diamond.
Best of all, they are currently introductory priced for the U. S. market, and are a steal at $79 per caret. Diamond Nexus gemstones are only available in precious metal, solid-gold settings.
Diamond Nexus is only available from Diamond Nexus Labs at: DiamondNexusLabs. com
White Sapphire
Sapphire is the second hardest natural mineral on the Mohs scale, surpassed only by diamond. They are, unlike the others in this review, a natural stone. Their radiance and brilliance are not up to the standards of diamond however. Nevertheless, quality white sapphires priced at around $220 per carat are a good diamond alternative.
A quality source is: TheNaturalSapphireCompany. com
Gemisis Cultured Diamond
Gemisis diamonds are beautiful and almost perfect diamond replicas. Unfortunately, they are not available in a clear, white color, so they are not a good choice for traditional diamond settings. However, if a yellow, orange or pink diamond is what you crave, Gemisis offers stunning choices in beautiful precious metal, fine-jewelry settings.
Gemisis Cultured Diamonds are only available at: gemisis. com
Recap:
Synthetic diamonds offer many advantages over the mined variety. You can buy with confidence, knowing that you are getting exactly what you paid for, and have not been the victim of diamond pricing chicanery. If you are concerned with the world around you, you can have a clear conscience, knowing that your money has not contributed to the support of an unethical and abusive industry.
However, there are many choices of synthetic diamonds, with varying degrees of quality. Take a little time to review the seller’s information to get a clear idea of what the science is behind the gemstones you are buying.
For my money, I believe the best choices are quality Moissanite stones or the new diamond stimulant gemstones available from Diamond Nexus Labs.

Roses may be beautiful but Tulips are magnificent. The huge colorful blooms we associate with Holland make stunning bouquets.
Did you know that Tulips did NOT originate from Holland? Actually, most species of wild tulips came from central asia and western asia. Tulips that originated in Europe were mainly from the Mediterranean.
How much would YOU pay for a tulip bulb? Did you know way back in 1635, a single tulip bulb could fetch the equivalent of $35,000 in present day money. No other flower ever generated such an insane following. But why?
Part of it is due to the beauty of the flower and the rarity of the tulip back in those days. It became a status symbol. People wanted to outdo one another with tulips. So the demand for tulips went sky high. The insanity that came next can be compared to the insanity in the stock market prior to stock market crashes. Investors would then buy tulips at ridiculous to sell at even crazier prices. Needless to say, when the inevitable crash came, fortunes were lost.
Lessons learnt from that incident can be applied to the stock market today. Same thing happened in the dot com boom and bust. Same thing is going to happen over and over again. Greed leading to blindness. The only remedy is to keep your eyes open and look at the facts. The important thing is how much something is really worth. Not what others say it would be worth in the future.
Tulips are valued for their beauty. They are treasured across nations. The Dutch crown princess fled to Canada for refuge during the world war. At the end of the war, Tulips became their gift of friendship. The Dutch gave Canada 1 million tulips in gratitude for the friendship displayed in the war. Such is the value of Tulips. Tulips are considered to be a symbol of friendship. Even today, you can see that magnificent display of Tulips in Canada. Reminding one about friendship in times of need.
These days, tulips are no longer as expensive as back then. An entire garden blooming with tulips during spring time is very affordable. All you need are some great tulip bulbs.
Tulips bloom after snow. So if you live where there is snow, then plant them in September. Tulips need the cold before then can bloom. If the winters are harsh, then cover the bulbs with straw or leaves. Uncover them in spring.
What do you do if you live where there is no snow?
Well, if you have a refrigerator, use it. Put the tulip bulbs, cheapestsale. com/plants/tulip. html in a paper bag and refrigerate it for 6 to 8 weeks, but keep them away from the fruit. Then plant the tulips.

A few years ago I made the decision to create a wild flower garden within my existing garden. You can find more information at complete-flower-garden. com/wildflowergarden. html.
I had been working to develop a more earth friendly approach to my garden, trying different options for fertilizing and pest and weed control. The next logical step for me was to establish a wild flower or natural style garden.
I was new to this and thought that this particular section of my yard would require little work. After all, if these flowers grow wild without any human help then I had found the ultimate “no maintenance” garden. . . right. Wrong. As I researched, I learned that I had to design my wild flower garden to take account of soil type, light and moisture.
However, I also found that if you are prepared to learn from nature, it becomes a delightful journey with guaranteed success, after all, mother nature has been growing flowers and trees since time began.
If you are considering a natural wild flower garden, remember for success you need to work with your local environment and choose plants that will thrive in those conditions. Again, learn from nature, check out local forests, meadows and parks. What kind of wild flowers grow there and just as important, exactly where are they growing, under trees, out in full sun, between rocks or at the edge of a pond.
Your garden can be anything you want, a full wild flower garden or a garden within your existing garden, it can have a simple mulch path with a small bench for sitting, or elaborate brick walks and walls, water feature and lighting. The amount of work involved is determined by size and layout.
You can start your garden from seeds or plants but whichever you choose, for a successful garden you need to plan and prepare and then plant.
This is the first of a series of articles on how to plan, design and grow a wild flower garden.

A comic book price guide is a great tool for determining what your comic books are estimated to be worth in the market today. The going worth of individual comic books can range all over the board. Some issues have been known to carry a value of six figures, while other issues aren’t even worth the price you paid for them. A comic book price guide can go a long way in helping you determine this kind of information.
Action Comics #1 (the introduction of Superman) in mint condition has been quoted at being worth $650,000. A pretty tidy piece of change. Then Weird Science, issue #13, in near mint condition can command a respectable price tag of $5,750. There are also multitudes of back issues purchased at a newsstand price of around 5 bucks, that are now worth even less than that.
The ability to determine the actual value of individual collections is not an easy task or one to be taken lightly. Comic book pricing is a highly perceived value and will vary quite greatly, depending on which opinion and which comic book price guide you choose to follow. By all means, if there is a reputable comic book dealer in your local area that you are comfortable dealing with, get his or her opinion. But in all my research so far, it seems that “The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide” is the bible of most active comic book collectors.
I have my copy in electronic format, reachable from my desktop. It is very handy. If you truly want to understand what your magazines are worth, the first thing you need to do is to determine the physical condition of each comic book. Is it raggedy ass poor with pages missing and in need of a paper clip to hold it together? Or has it never been opened since being purchased and appears to be in mint condition? Even brand new comic books may not make the grade of mint or perfect condition.
The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide gives a very detailed description of all the grades and sub-grades used in the 0. 5 to 10. 0 scale. This grading system is generally accepted by all comic book aficionados. If you follow Overstreet’s physical condition explanations and grading scale, you will get a pretty good feel for the conditions of your own collection.
The next step in your comic book pricing exercise is to then go through the myriad of pages in the comic book price guide to find your particular issues. Along with your now determined physical and grade conditions, you can find your issue’s current assumed value.
The comic book price guide also has tips on collecting, preserving and storing your comic books. And it defines the various ages (Golden Age, Silver Age, etc. ) that comic book history has moved through.
I guess if I had to mention a drawback to this guide, it would be the fact that there is soo much information to go through, it could take you quit a while to devour the whole book. Once you get well acquainted and comfortable with the comic book price guide though, you could consider yourself an expert in your own right and help your friends out with their collecting and comic book pricing questions.
I do believe this guide to be an invaluable and inexpensive resource to have and I don’t think you will be disappointed with it. Heritage Comics seems to be the top dog for delivering an electronic version of a comic book price guide. You can visit Heritage at comic-book-collection-made-easy. com/CBPG to learn more about the guide.
While you are there, you may want to surf around Heritage’s site. There are some very interesting subjects there. They also have on of the biggest on line comic book auctions on the Net. If you have never seen Heritage Comics’ site before and you really enjoy it, just remember where you heard about it at (ha, ha).
Of course if you would rather have a hard copy of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, I am sure your local comic book store would have a copy and I hope this little review has helped you with your pricing questions.
If you are serious at all about the monetary worth of your comic book collection, then a comic book price guide is a valuable tool to have. There are several available and even a few for free. But if you want some of the most relevant and up to date data, then the “Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide” has developed a superior reputation over the past 30 years.